Nollywood Week Film Festival

Nollywood Week: The European Showcase for Nigerian Cinema

Launched in 2013 by Nadira Shakur and Serge Noukoué, two film enthusiasts and curators, the Nollywood Week Film Festival was born from a simple yet powerful observation: while Paris is one of the world's cinema capitals, no festival highlighted Nollywood, the second-largest film industry in the world by the number of films produced. Organized by Okada Media, the festival has become over a decade the main European showcase for Nigerian cinema and, more broadly, for English-speaking African cinema.

A Program Revealing Nollywood's Diversity

Each edition offers a rigorous selection of about twenty films — fiction features, documentaries, short films, television series, and animated films — that showcase the extraordinary creative vitality of the Nigerian film industry. The festival regularly presents world premieres, giving Parisian audiences the chance to discover in advance works that will later tour the globe.

Contemporary Themes

The selected films address various topics: contemporary Nigerian society, gender issues, diasporic identity, tensions between tradition and modernity, entrepreneurship, love, and family relationships. Far from clichés, Nollywood Week's programming reveals a sophisticated cinema, technically accomplished and narratively bold.

A Venue Steeped in Cinematic History

The festival takes place at the Cinéma l'Arlequin, located in the heart of Paris, a stone's throw from where the Lumière brothers screened the first film in history to a paying audience. This choice of venue is not insignificant: it places Nigerian cinema within the grand history of the seventh art and asserts its legitimate place on the global cinematic scene.

Beyond Screenings

Nollywood Week is not limited to film screenings. Each edition features masterclasses led by Nigerian directors, producers, and actors, Q&A sessions after screenings, and festive events like the famous Afrobeats Party. The festival thus creates a unique meeting space between African cinema professionals and the European public, fostering intercultural exchange and co-production opportunities.

Since its inception, Nollywood Week has welcomed tens of thousands of spectators and helped introduce leading Nigerian directors to Europe. The festival benefits from the support of French and international cultural institutions and has expanded to other cities over the years.